The present invention relates to athletic shoes and particularly to high top athletic shoes including high top skates. The invention is further directed to shoes having one or more inflatable chambers therein to provide a customized fit of the shoe to the foot. The present invention further relates to inflatable bladder and valve assemblies for athletic shoes to provide a customized fit of the shoe to the wearer.
Current athletic shoes are a combination of many elements each having specific functions and all of which must work together to support and protect the foot and to provide traction during athletic events. Today's athletic shoes are designed for the demands and requirements of specific sports and to meet the specific characteristics of the user. An athletic shoe is typically comprised of two parts--an upper and a sole. The sole is attached to the bottom of the upper and provides traction, protection and a durable wear surface. The upper snugly and comfortably encloses the foot. In a running or jogging shoe, the upper typically terminates below the ankle bones and has several layers including a weather and wear resistant outer layer of leather or synthetic material, such as nylon, and a soft padded inner liner for foot comfort. Athletic shoes designed for sports requiring the athlete to make sudden and rapid lateral movements, such as in basketball, football, tennis or ice hockey, are designed such that the upper extends up to or above the ankle bones (the medial and lateral malleoli). Such shoes are referred to as three-quarter height or high top shoes.
Obtaining a proper fit around the ankle bones in the three-quarter height and high top athletic shoes has been a problem in the past because the uneven contour around the ankle bones varies from person to person. The typical prior art technique for fitting the upper around the ankle bones lines the ankle portion of the upper with a relatively soft foam material. However, since no two persons have precisely the same ankle bone configuration, the foam material only approximates a customized fit.
Adjustable air inflated bladders in the ankle portion of an upper are also known, and particularly in ski boots wherein the upper is relatively inflexible and the air bladders are designed to embrace the ankle and lower leg and provide a restraining force against the foot. Examples of air bladders used in ski boots are those in West German Patents 2,365,329 and 2,308,547. These air bladders typically form rigid vertical columns along the medial and lateral sides of the foot and leg, thereby restricting movement of the foot. While such restriction of motion is desirable in a ski boot, it interferes with the required foot motion in athletic shoes designed for most other athletic activities.
Examples of other shoes having bladder or similar arrangements include those in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,313,924, 2,086,389, 2,365,807, 3,121,430, 3,469,576 and 4,361,969, as well as that in French 1.406.610 patent. Some of these designs include bladder placement which actually interferes with the fit of the foot in the shoe, some are not volume or pressure adjustable to provide a customized fit, some interfere with cushioning components of the shoe, some restrict the movement of the foot, and some interfere with the pronation/supination action of the foot. None of them meets today's rigorous athletic standards, and none of them is especially well-suited for use in high top ice skates.
No suitable valves are known which can be easily attached to the bladder and which can be accurately and easily deflated by depressing with a finger tip for accurate and fine adjustment of the pressure. The inflation/deflation system should have a minimum number of parts and be simple, reliable and inexpensive as well as easy to use.